History
Bill France Sr. built the dirt oval in 1947 on land that had held a horse track, and it hosted a race in NASCAR's inaugural Strictly Stock season in 1949. Louise Smith became NASCAR's first female driver there that year, and Wendell Scott made his debut at the track in 1961.
Renamed Orange Speedway in 1954, it ran premier-series races until Richard Petty won the last one in September 1968, after local officials banned Sunday racing; its date went to the new Talladega track.
Preservationists bought the property in 1997, and it was listed on the National Register in 2002. Trees now grow inside the old oval, and volunteers keep the grandstands and track bed visible along walking trails.
Why it matters: It is the only surviving dirt track from NASCAR's 1949 inaugural season.
Timeline
- September 1947Converted for stock cars[2]
Bill France Sr. expanded a former horse track into a one-mile dirt oval.
- August 7, 1949
Bob Flock won the third race of NASCAR's first Strictly Stock season.
- 1954Renamed Orange Speedway[2]
Renamed Orange Speedway.
- 1959Shortened[2]
Track reduced to 0.9 mile.
- September 15, 1968
Richard Petty won the final NASCAR race.
- May 2, 2002
National Register listing.
The site today
| Physical status | Standing, repurposed |
|---|---|
| Current use | Historic site and trail network, part of Eno River State Park; listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1] |
| Surviving remnants | Much of the dirt oval and the grandstands survive in woodland, crossed by walking trails.[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Other names | Orange Speedway (1954) |
|---|---|
| Location | Elizabeth Brady Road, 0.3 mile north of US 70 Business, Hillsborough, North Carolina[1] |
| Venue type | Speedway |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | NASCAR |
| Opened | 1947[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | September 15, 1968[1,2] |
| Physical status | Standing, repurposed |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Owner / operator | Bill France Sr. (builder); now State of North Carolina, maintained with the Historic Speedway Group |
| Closure | Local officials banned Sunday racing; NASCAR moved the date to Talladega. |
Documented details
Sources
- Occoneechee Speedway, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, coordinates, current land use, events, opened, remnants
- Occoneechee Speedway, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, events, opened, remnants
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- Wikipedia's infobox gives May 5, 1947 for opening while its text says the track was built in September 1947; the state page also says September 1947.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.